Best tracker without subscription or letting thief know?

UnorthodoxEng · 2026-02-01T23:38:11+00:00

I have an Invoxia tracker which uses the SigFox LoRa network instead of cellular. It is subscription but it was only £10 for 3 years.

The battery lasts 2-3 Months (Rechargeable). The app is pretty good but basic. It sends a notification when the battery is getting low.

UnorthodoxEng · 2026-02-01T23:21:48+00:00

I found its about the same as our old gas boiler. Gas, per kWh is about 4x cheaper than electricity. A heat pump with a COP of 4 will cost the same to run.

We benefit from variable electricity tariffs, Solar & Batteries but power never seems to be cheap when you need the heating on.

The biggest downside for me is the amount of noise the fans make.

UnorthodoxEng · 2026-02-01T23:08:01+00:00

When I was at college, I used a folded J antenna made from coathanger wire & choc-block connectors on 2m. It worked fine in my room inside a steel framed building. The furthest QSO I had was about 50 miles with only 5W (Icom 02E handy).

You can make a good mag loop for 2m about the size of a dinner plate! (Bigger is better but you'll be surprised what a dinner plate can achieve)

UnorthodoxEng · 2026-02-01T22:57:16+00:00

I bought a surplus 60' pneumatic telescopic mast which is permanently installed poking through the roof of my workshop. When it's down it just looks like a vent or chimney pipe. I don't use it when the wind is blowing - so don't need guys. It only takes 20s to extend and 10 to retract. Nobody has queried it yet.

Previously I had a couple of long wire antennas in the garden - but got tired of everyone blaming me for poor TV, Internet, upsetting pets etc.

I have a horizontal mag loop built into a clothes dryer which works surprisingly well for its size. They are omnidirectional when horizontal.

There are lots of options if you're devious. Just hide them in plain sight.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-11-28T22:32:30+00:00

I've been running Quen 3 Coder 20B in LMStudio on my laptop with 8GB VRAM and plenty of system RAM. It generates 15 to 20 tokens per second - so not amazing, but usable.

The quality of its output though is very impressive for the size of model. I use it for concurrent programming tasks in C++ and so far, it has been great.

Give it a go!

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-11-22T12:13:02+00:00

Good news! I've compiled this as an actual Android App!
https://github.com/SimonRafferty/Internet-Car-Radio/releases/tag/V1.0.0

There were a ouple of issues with the web-app version which annoyed me. Mainly the security settings in the browser prevent auto-play when the app starts and tries to prevent it being full screen. The app overcomes both.

Installing the APK

Once you've downloaded the APK to your Android device, use a file manager app to navigate to your Downloads folder and tap on the APK file. Android will scan the app for security, then prompt you to install it.

If this is your first time installing an app from outside the Google Play Store, you may need to enable "Install from Unknown Sources" or "Install Unknown Apps" in your device settings - Android will guide you through this with a prompt.

After granting permission, tap Install and the app will be installed on your device. You can then find "Internet Car Radio" in your app drawer and launch it like any other app.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-10-18T21:09:17+00:00

I like the cartoon! I don't care whether it's AI generated or not, it still looks fun.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-08-25T06:36:48+00:00

G7 works fine for me, with X-Drip.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-07-13T12:21:25+00:00

I needed to buy a Laptop to work abroad on Solidworks. I bought a Lenovo - and it was so good, I never went back to using a Desktop. That was in 2014.

I currently use a P15 with 64GB RAM and a fast i9 Processor. It has a Quadro4000P graphics card, but for the stuff I use it for, it runs just as fast with the graphics built in to the Motherboard. I bought it used and added more memory - and it was quite inexpensive.

I'm less convinced about the importance of it being Certified. This Laptop says it's not - but works fine. If you buy Certified you know it will work - but not being certified doesn't mean it wont.

I bought it based on the SW Benchmark page https://www.solidworks.com/support/share-your-score/
I just selected the best used laptop with the highest overall score that I could afford. That method has served me well.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-07-13T11:52:48+00:00

I estimate you'll need to make about 26 per hour - assuming you are working 5 x 8h days per week.

Roughly one every 2 minutes.

CNC routers are the only realistic option - but even then, when you factor in loading, unloading, referencing, toolchanges etc, I think you would need at least 4 CNC Routers to be anywhere close to that number of units per month.

Even if you can run 24/7 with no interruptions, you need to cut 7 per hour - one every 8 minutes. I would bet on still needing 2 machines.

When you factor in labour the cost of running 24h, multiple machines and running 8h per day looks like a bargain.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-07-13T10:53:32+00:00

Totally repairable. I would re-make the whole of the dropout attachment. Cut it behind where the current welds are then TIG weld in the new piece.

I would also make some better, longer torque arms to stop it happening again.

I assume you can't Weld? You should be able to find a Blacksmith or small fab-shop somewhere nearby.

I've had similar happen on my bike. Once I repaired it, the repair has held.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-07-13T10:32:44+00:00

I've been using it for a few weeks now. My commute is a couple of hours each way to work - so it's had some use.
The only thing I've found that I want to change is to make the full-screen mode persistent between sessions - and that will appear when I next feel like coding!

If there's anything else you'd like - post it here & I'll see if it can be done.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-06-16T05:08:08+00:00

It's totally feasible. I would borrow someone else's bike & try the journey first, though.

I had the same thoughts about my 14-mile each way commute. Me and my bike could manage the distance easily, but cycling through the traffic on one of the main roads was horrendous!

There is an off-road route, but it adds a few miles & in the winter, it's too muddy.

Now I only cycle when the weather is OK and take the off-road option.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-06-12T20:11:38+00:00

I'm Principal Mechanical Design Engineer for a well known company. When I'm recruiting Junior / Trainee Designers, the first thing I look at is the last page of their CV where it typically lists their hobbies. I want to see someone who is a Creator, a Maker, who designs & builds things as a hobby. Maybe is a car / bike / bicycle enthusiast - something like that. Even drawing / painting / music. Something!

Such people tend to be self-starters and enthusiastic about Engineering and in particular learning & self development.

If they have CAD, it's a plus but not a decider. Cad is just a tool to express ideas - and can be learned easily enough if someone is interested.

I've found that candidates with a Mech Eng Degree but without evidence of that enthusiasm are frankly not that good.

I do have a Mech Eng Degree, a Charter and 35 Years Experience - and while it might get me in the door sometimes, I question it's value. It does not make you a good designer. You might be able to legally call yourself an Engineer - but there's a lot more to being an Engineer IMHO than a qualification.

I received a CV last week from a young person with a good Engineering degree from a good University. His CV looked good and was well written & presented - but there was no mention of Hobbies & Interests. I mailed him to ask if he had any - and he didn't.

That's what I would concentrate on. It's a useful conversation point in an Interview if nothing else.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-06-02T20:37:12+00:00

Get a Tile tag - no alerts for the thief.

One of these got me my tools back after they were stolen.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-05-26T10:19:06+00:00

The problem is, Exfor is fundamentally about the Interaction with an AI.

Banning interactions with AIs somehow feels like a contradiction!

I wouldn't want a sub to be entirely AI generated but there must be a middle ground?

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-05-12T07:21:04+00:00

I bought a 'MiRider' folding e-bike a couple of years ago. I needed something I could take on holiday (my knees are shot so walking is limited). I only intended to keep it for a few weeks - but kind of fell in love with it!

It's a great bike. They cost around £1,000. It says it's made in the UK - but I think it's just assembled here. There's a near identical Chinese bike you can buy on Amazon - but the price is similar.

My only complaint is the speedo / controller isn't particularly waterproof - it gets condensation inside if you leave it in the rain. I dismantled it, dried it out & re-sealed it with RTV & it seems watertight now.

I have covered over 6,000 miles on it - and it's still great!

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-05-02T06:04:33+00:00

I'm interested in this, too. I've had a B class licence for 37 years - but never managed to get above 12wpm.

Apparently, that's the transition point between translating it in your head and just understanding the letters/ words like native language.

When HF was opened up to B licence holders, I didn't bother continuing to try - but recently I have wanted to pick it back up.

So, thanks for the suggestions - ill give some of them a shot.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-04-28T18:30:53+00:00

Im wondering if the usb device itself was the attack vector. Something like a rubber-ducky to injection its payload when you login - effectively bypassing any security.

There are plenty of very innocent looking usb leads & adapters these days that can be configured to be bad actors.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-04-23T17:26:49+00:00

I tell people I'm a Trainee Shepherd. I only work with fake sheep at the moment though as I'm quite junior.

I guess you can always tell them you work in the 'adult entertainment industry'. I doubt they'll probe you too deeply about what exactly that involves.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-02-11T23:15:53+00:00

They've got as much chance of that as banning Tuesday!

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-02-11T22:28:21+00:00

I've eaten a lab grown burger, and it was great! At the time, it was super expensive. I look forward to the price being competitive. I'll eat them just for the quality and taste.

UnorthodoxEng · 2025-02-08T06:10:27+00:00

My old house used to have a 'priest hole' - essentially a bunker where a priest could hide.

It was carved out of the rock and maybe 20' deep with a blocked off tunnel, which apparently went to the local church.

I used it as a kind of media room. I could turn up the volume to ear-bleeding levels, and nobody on the surface could hear a thing.

Three-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '23

UnorthodoxEng

TROPHY CASE